CHAPTER EIGHT: The Rival Alpha
1408 Words
The silence after the howl didn’t fade,it thickened.
It pressed into the clearing like something alive, something waiting to strike.
Ariya felt it in her chest before anything else, bond tightening, pulling and reacting to something that wasn’t Kael.
Something colder, something watching.
Kael stepped in front of her fully now, his body a solid wall of heat and protection. Every line of him had changed, the man from last night,the one who kissed her like he was starving and afraid of it was gone.
This was Alpha.
Still, controlled and deadly.
“Stay behind me,” he said again, quieter this time.
Ariya didn’t argue,not because she agreed but because she felt the shift.
The forest wasn’t theirs anymore.
The footsteps came slowly, measured and confident.
Not a predator sneaking through shadows but a predator announcing himself.
Branches parted and he stepped into the clearing like he owned it.
Eamon Voss.
Ariya’s first thought was dangerously simple:
He’s beautiful.
Not in the raw, grounded way Kael was, not solid or steady.
Eamon’s beauty was sharper.
Refined.
Like something carved too perfectly to trust.
Dark hair fell loosely around his face, his posture relaxed, shoulders loose, hands free at his sides. No tension, no visible threat.
But his presence pressed against the air in a way that made her skin tighten.
His amber eyes swept the clearing lazily, then stopped.
On her.
The world narrowed.
Ariya’s breath caught sharply as something cold brushed her mind again.
Not the warmth of the bond, not the heat she felt with Kael.
This was intrusion, interest and amusement .
“So,” Eamon said softly, voice smooth as silk. “That’s new.”
Kael moved.
Not fast, not dramatic, but deliberate,placing himself directly between them, severing the line of sight.
A low, dangerous growl vibrated from his chest.
“Look at me”, he said
Eamon’s lips curved.
Oh! I am.
But his eyes didn’t move.
That was the problem.
Ariya felt it, his attention sliding around Kael, reaching, testing like fingers brushing something that didn’t belong to him.
The bond snapped tight in response.
Hot and possessive.
Kael felt it too.
His control cracked for half a second, just enough for his eyes to flare brighter.
“Enough,” he said, voice dropping into something deeper, something heavier.
Power rippled outward.
Even the pack shifted.
But Eamon only tilted his head, studying him with interest.
“There it is,” he murmured. I was wondering when you’d show me.
Dax stepped forward, tension snapping tight in his posture.
You don’t get to walk into our territory and talk like that.
Eamon finally glanced at him just a glance.
And somehow, it felt dismissive.
“I just did,” he replied.
The insult landed clean.
Kael didn’t react outwardly but Ariya felt the surge through the bond.
Anger is barely controlled.
State your purpose,Kael said.
Not a request!
A command!
Eamon’s gaze slid back to him, amused.
You know why I’m here.
Say it!
Then Eamon smiled.
I smelled something unusual, he said
The word hung in the air.
Ariya’s stomach tightened and Kael didn’t move.
You sent scouts,he said.
I did, but you lost them.
Eamon’s smile didn’t falter.
“MThey served their purpose.
The casual cruelty in his tone made Ariya’s skin crawl.
They told me enough,he continued but scent only goes so far.
His eyes flicked past Kael again.
This time, Kael stepped forward fast enough to make the ground crunch under his boots.
A warning!
A real one.
Eamon stopped.
Slowly, deliberately, he lifted his hands, palms open.
“MRelax, he said lightly. “If I wanted to take her, I wouldn’t walk in alone.”
The words hit like a blade.
Ariya felt the bond flare violently.
Kael’s control snapped tighter around it.
You won’t touch her,he said.
Eamon’s smile sharpened.
That depends.
The clearing went deadly still.
On what? Kael asked.
Eamon’s gaze finally settled, fully, unapologetically on Ariya.
And this time, Kael didn’t move fast enough to block it.
The connection slammed into her.
Ariya gasped.
It wasn’t physical, it wasn’t pain.
It was awareness.
Eamon seeing her.
Not just her face, not just her body.
Something deeper, something inside her.
Well, Eamon said softly, almost impressed. That confirms it.
Confirms what? Ariya demanded.
Kael’s voice came sharp. “Don’t engage him.
I’m already engaged, she shot back.
Eamon’s smile widened slightly.
“I like her.”
Kael’s growl was immediate.
“You don’t get to like anything about her.”
Don’t I? Eamon replied calmly.
Then he said it.
She’s moonblood.
The word dropped into the clearing like a stone into deep water.
Everything stilled.
Even the forest seemed to listen.
Ariya blinked.
What does that mean?
Kael didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Her chest tightened.
You knew? she said quietly.
His silence confirmed it.
Eamon exhaled slowly, satisfied.
Yes, he said. That reaction tells me everything I need.
Ariya’s pulse spiked.
Stop talking around it, she snapped. Explain!
Eamon looked almost delighted.
“Moonblood women,” he said, pacing slowly now, are not accidents. They are balanced
Kael’s voice cut in like a blade.
“Stop.”
Eamon ignored him.
They were created to control Alpha power, to bind it and limit it.”
Ariya’s breath came shallow.
Bind it how?
Eamon’s eyes flicked to Kael briefly.
Through the bond.
The realization hit hard,her gaze snapped to Kael.
That’s why this feels like this?
He didn’t deny it.
Eamon continued, voice smooth.
Your kind ensures wolves don’t become gods or monsters.
Kael stepped forward again.
“You’re done.”
But Ariya’s voice came first.
And what happens if the bond completes? She asked
Silence!
Even Eamon paused, then he smiled slowly.
That depends on the Alpha, he said
Her stomach dropped.
Explain please, she begged
Kael’s voice was low now and dangerous .
Don’t.
Eamon met his gaze.
Oh,, I think I will.
His attention shifted back to Ariya.
If the Alpha is strong, he said, the bond stabilizes him, grounds him and makes him Better.
Ariya’s heart flickered.
And if he’s not?, she asked
Eamon’s smile turned cold.
It locks the curse in place.
The words hit like ice.
Kael didn’t move, didn’t breathe.
Ariya felt the bond twist sharply.
So I either help him? she whispered.
Or destroy him, Eamon finished.
Silence crashed over the clearing.
Ariya turned slowly toward Kael.
You knew that too?
His voice came quiet.
“Yes.”
Something cracked inside her.
You should have told me.
I was going to, he said
“When?” she demanded. After I accidentally ruin your life?
Eamon chuckled softly.
This is why honesty matters.
Kael snapped.
The air shifted violently.
Power surged outward, raw and unmistakable.
Enough!!
This time, it wasn’t just a word it was Alpha command.
Even Ariya felt it press against her chest.
Eamon stilled.
Not submissive but respectful.
Interesting, Kael stepped closer, every movement deliberate.
You’ve said what you came to say.
Eamon studied him for a long moment.
Then nodded slightly.
Yes, he said. !I have.
He turned, then paused.
Looked back at Ariya one last time.
Be careful who you trust, moonblood, he said softly.
Her jaw tightened.
Funny, she replied. I was just thinking the same thing.
Something flickered in his expression.
Approval?
Then it was gone.
Soon, he added, glancing at Kael, “we won’t need to talk.”
Then he disappeared into the trees.
The clearing didn’t relax, It stayed tight.
Heavy, Waiting
Ariya exhaled slowly, then turned to Kael.
The bond pulsed between them but now it wasn’t steady.
It was strained.
You lied to me, she said.
I withheld information, he said.
That’s lying, she screamed
His jaw tightened.
I was trying to protect you., kael said
From the truth?
From the consequences.
Her voice dropped, i deserve to know what I am.”
Yes, he said quietly. You did.
The admission didn’t fix anything, it made it worse.
Ariya shook her head slightly.
I don’t even know what I’m becoming.
Kael stepped closer.
Carefully this time, like approaching something fragile.
You’re not becoming anything,he said.
You already are.
That’s not comforting,she said
No, he admitted, but it’s real.
The bond pulsed, uncertain now! Unsteady!
For the first time since it formed, it didn’t feel inevitable.
It felt questioned.
And far beyond the forest, Eamon Voss smiled because doubt was far more dangerous than fear.
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